Ebola

Ebola

Description of virus:

Ebola virus

• Typically 800-1000 nm long, 80 nm in diameter.
• Enveloped RNA virus.
• Has thread like structure of a filovirus.
• In center, there is a structure called nucleocapsid.
• Formed by double strand ed viral genomic RNA.
• Spikes are 10 nm in length, and 10 nm apart.

Viral Specificity:

• Ebola interferes with the endothelial cells lining the surface of blood cells.
• As the blood vessel walls become damaged, blood has trouble coagulating.
• Patients then succumb to hypovolemic shock, or decreased blood volume.

Symptoms and progression of the disease:

• Incubation period is generally 5-18 days, but it can range from 2-15 days.
• Illness is characterized by rapid onset of fever, muscle pain, headache, and inflammation of the pharnyx.
• After 6 days, symptoms progress to vomiting and bloody diarrhea, and sometimes a masculopapular rash.
• If individual develops a masculopapular rash, bleeding at needle sites and body orifices usually occurs.

  Nurses standing infront of a patient, who later died, at the Ngaliema Hospital in Kinshasa, Zaire

• Internal and external bleeding starts as symptoms progress.

Common Methods of Transmission:

• Transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons.
• Transmission through oral exposure and through conjunctiva exposure is also likely.
• Transmission may also occur when handling dead animals already carrying the virus.

Treatment and Prevention (if any):

• There is no standard treatment for Ebola, and no vaccine available.
• Treatment usually consists of balancing electrolytes and maintaining oxygen and blood levels. (Supportive Therapy)
• Replacing lost coagulation factors to help stop bleeding.

Miscellaneous:

• There are 5 strains of the Ebola virus, 4 of which infect humans, Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast and Ebola-Bundibugyo.
• Only Ebola-Reston has been reported to infect primates, but not humans.
• Ebola-Zaire is the most lethal strain.
• Virus is named after the Ebola River Valley in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Virus was relatively obscure until an outbreak of the disease in a group of monkeys in the US was largely publicized.

Resources accessed:

Author of Article: Wikipedia Contributors
Title of Article: Ebola
URL: http://www.wikipedia.org/ebola
Date: Oct. 24, 2010

Author of Article: CDC
Title of Article: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola.htm
Date: April 9, 2009

Author of Article: World Health Organization
Title of Article: Ebola hemorrhagic Fever
URL:http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/index.html
Date: Oct. 23, 2010